Welcome To Everything Halloween


Materials:
	2 baskets, approximately 10-inches long x 4-inches wide x 2-inches high Plastic garbage bag 1 brick floral foam 2 handfuls green moss (gray moss is fine too) 3 to 5 stems purple statice, 2 stems bright orange daisy mums, 5 stems red leucadendron 1 scary Halloween hand or garden glove 2 pieces newspaper Optional- Several small rubber/plastic bugs Floral preservative, knife and clippers
Directions:
	Step 1 - Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative.
	Step 2 - Line the box with cut up garbage bag. Cut the foam to fit one of the boxes. The foam should meet the top of the box. Use moss to hide the foil/garbage bag.
	Step 3 - Stuff the hand with newspaper so that it looks full, like a real hand. Now set the hand on top of the foam, towards the center of the box - allow the fingers to fall over the edge of the box.
	Step 4 - Cut the flowers to approximately 2- to 3-inches in length and insert them deeply into the floral foam. Allow some varieties, such as the statice, to drip over the edge of the box/coffin.
	Step 5 - When the flowers are used up and the foam is covered, use a discarded flower stem and cut it about 6-to 7-inches in length. Insert it into the foam and allow it stick up at least 4-inches.
	Step 6 - Now place the second box over the flower filled coffin (at an angle and to act as the lid to the coffin). The stick will hold the 'lid' above the coffin. OPTIONAL- Display the coffin with rubber/plastic bugs crawling inside and outside of the comfy coffin.

Halloween Ideas!

by Jon Murray

Now that the leaves on the trees are starting to change color and that familiar chill in the air can be felt, it's time to start thinking about that scariest of holidays; Halloween. Ghosts and goblins, ghouls and witches and all that candy! I don't think there is any time of year more exciting for kids than Halloween.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and "trick or treating" has become a tradition, but it's not the only one. Costume parties, haunted houses, hayrides and creepy movie festivals are all part of the weeks leading up to the big day. Here are some sof my Halloween ideas, perhaps you'll use some of them this year.

Halloween decorating does not need to be expensive, but if you want you can spend a fortune. People do everything from the most simple decoration (a pumpkin) to extravagant light shows and my favourite personal haunted houses and yards. You need to find something which matches your budget and commitment. Dollar stores have a lot of inexpensive Halloween decorations, my favourite from the dollar stores are the glow in the dark spiders and skeletons. I hang the skeletons on tree branches and they light up at night giving a spooky chill to the yard.

I like to do a couple of pumpkins on Halloween, one for each of the kids, a family effort and of course my personal masterpiece (which I usually do on the 30th after the kids have gone to bed). You can find nice pumpkin templates all around the Internet, but be sure to use a sharp knife and if the kids are young, you do the carving, but let them tell you what to cut.

Fog is another Halloween essential for me. I use two fog machines, one in the house (I hope that stuff isn't dangerous) with some windows open for ventilation and one outside to highlight whatever creepy item I feel needs it. Usually the creepy item is a 6 foot tall ghost we like to call "scary big man". I purchased him at a garden centre and probably paid too much, but he's going on his 3rd year now and I stand by my purchase. He's totally cool!

Hay bales and corn stalks are great yard accent pieces and nothing brings out fall's creepiness better than those two items. If you live on a farm, you could even build a maze out of the bales and make the kids go through it to get to the front door.

Last but definitely not least is Halloween music. I've been building my collection for years, but for starters you can get a simple halloween sounds CD and put it on repeat. Chains, howling, screams make the young ones shake in their boots. The old ones (including parents) find it amusing but neat. I like to throw in a mix of halloween songs like monster mash and of course what Halloween would be complete without a little Danny Elfman. If you're not familiar with Mr Elfman's work, he has done soundtracks for some of the scariest movies out there. Google him and see what comes back.

So, get started early. Get the decorations up and maybe have a Halloween party too. Christmas shopping is just around the corner, so enjoy Halloween while you can. It's the chance for every grown up to act like a kid again.

Jon aka Jack Sparrow is the web master at Halloween Village, the best place to get your Halloween Wallpaper

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Hair Raising Halloween

Recipe by Jill Slater


Materials:
	Jack-O-Lantern, faux or the real deal, approximately 8- to 10-inches in diameter- with eyes, nose, mouth cut out 1 sheet yellow construction paper Water-proof liner to the inside of the Jack-O-Lantern 2 bricks floral foam 2 wood pics or 1 wood shish kabob skewer 1 bunch bear grass 2 bricks floral foam 4 to 5 rubberbands 2 stems orange germini's (miniature gerbera daisies) 3 stems orange gerbera daisies 4 stems papyrus 1 dozen greening pins or 5 lengths of straight heavy gauge straight wire Witches hat Half a yard orange decorative ribbon, 1/2 inch wide Floral preservative, scissors, pairing knife and clippers
Directions:
	Step 1 - Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative.
	Step 2 - Fill the water-proof liner with floral foam and insert it into the pumpkin. Insert 2 wood pics (or cut shish kabob skewers) and insert them partially into the top of the foam. Now set the other brick of foam on top of first piece, inserting it into the wood pics/skewers.
	Step 3 - With a pairing knife, carve the foam that is sticking out of the pumpkin into a cone shape.
	Step 4 - Divide the bear grass into 4 or 5 smaller bunches and rubberband the individual bunches.
	Step 5 - Starting at the rim of the pumpkin, where the foam first juts out of the top of the jack-o-lantern, begin wrapping the bear grass up and around the foam cone. Wrap the bear grass around the foam, tightly, using greening pins as you go, to hold the bear grass in place. (If not using greening pins, cut the straight wire into 3-inch lengths; bend in half- to form a bobbie-pin shape. Use these wire pins in place of greening pins.)
	Step 6 - Repeat step #5 until the entire foam cone is wrapped with bear grass.
	Step 7 - Now set the witch's hat partially over the cone. Pin it in place.
	Step 8 - Cut the papyrus stems approximately 2-inches in length, and insert them into the 'bang' area of the jack-o-lantern (above the eyes). With scissors, cut some of the bangs short and leave some long.
	Step 9 - Insert the gerbera and germini daisies just above the bangs.
	Step 10 - The ribbon gets tied into a bow, as you would tie your shoe, and is attached with a greening pin.
	http://www.flowerpossibilities.com

Decorating Your House Can Be A Treat-No Trick!

by Wendy Mitchell

Scary witches. Spooky jack-o-lanterns. And lots of tricks and treats. It's no wonder Halloween has become a favorite holiday for kids of all ages.

This fall, millions of Americans will get into the Halloween spirit by decorating their homes for the season. Why not join in the fun? All you need is some paint and a little imagination. Here are some ideas from the decorating experts at Rust-Oleum:

• Welcome trick-or-treaters. Create an inviting path to your front door with pumpkins from your local farm or supermarket. Line your steps with fresh mums in inexpensive ceramic planters spray painted with Painters Touch® Real Orange or Gloss Black. Add a scarecrow, corn stalks and a couple of bales of hay and the neighborhood ghosts and goblins will flock to your door.

• Invite the neighbors. Create an autumn tablescape by painting inexpensive candlesticks with American Accents® Canyon Black spray paint. Add the enchanting warm look of rich aged copper to papier-mâché pumpkins with American Accents Antique Copper Transformation Kit. Or, paint miniature pumpkins with American Accents Metallic Copper spray paint for quick and easy elegance. Purchase colorful autumn leaves from your local crafts store, scatter the leaves and pumpkins on the table in a random pattern and bring out the mulled cider and donuts for a festive Halloween treat.

• Create a haunted house look. Customize your entryway with items painted with Rust-Oleum Glow in the Dark Paint. Add splashes of glow in the dark color to decorative accents such as wooden candy bowls, witches, bats and other Halloween decorations for a spooky effect that is sure to put everyone in the Halloween spirit.

• Save the memories. Paint a simple wooden picture frame with American Accents Mango spray paint. Draw black cats or spiders webs with American Accents Decorative Paint Pen in Gloss Black. Fill the frame with a picture of your little ghost or goblin for Halloween memories that will last for years to come.

Get in the spirit by decorating your home for Halloween.

Need more inspiration? Visit PaintIdeas.com. It's the destination for inspiring decorating ideas and creative projects for the holidays and every room in your home.

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Festive Candy Corn

Recipe by Jill Slater

Cocktail parties, warm lit fires and yes, flowers remind us the holidays are here. The next time you're invited to a holiday gathering, put your creative juices to work and bring along a token of thanks in the spirit of Mother Nature's bounty. Original, seasonal and stunning are stargazer lilies filling a glass ice bucket. The display is made more magnificent by employing candy corn to anchor the fragrant flowers. And when the flowers fade, the practical glass ice bucket will continue to remind your host or hostess of the festive season and YOU! Materials:
	Small glass ice bucket (Approximately 5-inches tall x 6-inches in diameter) Sharp pointed knife. 1 to 2 packages of fresh candy corn (enough to fill the glass ice bucket) Approximately 3 to 5 stems of multi-bloom stargazer lilies Water tubes, enough for each lily stem. (Water tubes are available wherever you buy your flowers or at craft stores.) Floral preservative. Floral Clippers.
Directions:
	Step 1 - Fill the ice bucket nearly to the top with candy corn.
	Step 2 - Fill the watertubes with water that has been treated with flower food/preservative, and replace their plastic caps.
	Step 3 - Cut the stargazer lily stems to approximately 3 to 4 inches in length and remove all the greens, except for the greens closest to the blooms.
	Step 4 - Insert each lily into individual water tubes.
	Step 5 - Now plunge each lily (with water tube) deeply into the candy corn filled ice bucket. The lilies should be evenly dispersed to fill the entire ice bucket.
	Step 6 - Note: If the ice bucket comes with ice tongs tie them on to handle of the bucket with a decorative ribbon, or insert the tongs into the candy corn along with the flowers.
	http://www.flowerpossibilities.com

Witches Brew

Recipe by Jill Slater


Materials:
	Large witch's caldron, approximately 12-inches round x 10-inches tall Tall liner for caldron, the liner should be as tall as the caldron and but slightly smaller in diameter. (Jill used a large vase as the liner, approximately 10-inches round x 10-inches tall. A large mixing bowl set on something to boost it to the height of the rim of the caldron would work too.) 2 bricks floral foam 9 black magic roses (dark red roses, almost look black) 3 stems bright red roses 4 stems bright yellow-green leucadendron 3 stems burgundy snapdragons Witch legs, if possible! Floral preservative, knife and clippers
Directions:
	Step 1 - Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative.
	Step 2 - Cut the foam to fit the liner. The foam should meet the top of the caldron. Now fill foam filled liner with water that has been treated with floral preservative.
	Step 3 - Except for the snapdragons, cut the flowers about 2- to 3-inches in length and begin inserting the flowers deeply into the foam. Group the flowers by variety. All the heads of the flowers should be at the same height.
	Step 4 - Cut the snapdragon about 10-inches in length and insert them into the edge of the caldron as a group.
	Step 5 - Insert the witch's legs at the opposite end of the caldron, across from the snapdragons.
	http://www.flowerpossibilities.com

Gourd-ous White Pumpkin

Recipe by Jill Slater


Materials:
	1 brick floral foam One 8-inch diameter faux or real white pumpkin 17 stems orange standard carnations Clippers, knife and floral preservative
Directions:
	Step 1 - Cut the top off the pumpkin. If a real pumpkin is used scoop out the seeds and pulp.
	Step 2 - Soak floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative for at least 30 minutes.
	Step 3 - Cut the floral foam to fit the interior of the pumpkin. The foam should meet the rim of the pumpkin.
	Step 4 - Insert the lemon leaf into the lower right or left side of the pumpkin at the pumpkins' rim.
	Step 5 - Cut the carnations to approximately 4-inches in length. Start inserting the flowers around the bottom/rim of the pumpkin. The next flowers are placed directly above this bottom ring of flowers. The blooms are placed right next to each other. Continue this process until the floral foam is entirely filled.

Pumpkins n' Posies

Recipe and Photos by Jill Slater

	Autumn is the perfect time to combine all of what Mother Nature has to offer- freesias, roses, baby pumpkins and many other seasonal goodies. Don't be fooled, while the design may look complicated, it's actually very easy to create. That's because all flowers are 'mounded' in the container. 'Mounded' is a term florists use to denote that all the materials are cut very short and molded to fit the shape of the vessel.
Materials:
	One 8-inch ceramic bowl 3 miniature pumpkins, oranges or persimmons 8 stems white freesia 5 stems orange miniature spray roses 5 stems open orange hybrid ti- roses 4 stems yellow stock 5 stems hypericum berries 1 large stem green hydrangea 3 wood pics (available from the florist or craft store, or use wood shish kabob skewers) 2 to 3 bricks of floral foam Floral preservative Knife Floral clippers
Directions:
	Step 1 - Soak the floral foam in water that has been treated with floral preservative for at least 30 minutes.
	Step 2 - Cut the foam to fit the interior of the container. Then with the knife shape the foam so that it is domed, the center higher than the sides.
	Step 3 - Now insert one wood pic (or cut shish kabob skewers into 3-inch lengths) and insert them into each miniature pumpkin/orange or persimmon. Then insert them sporadically into the floral foam.
	Step 4 - Think of the arrangement in pieces, each piece is built around each pumpkin/orange or persimmon. Begin inserting flowers, short and deeply around each pumpkin/orange or persimmon. Very quickly the centerpiece will be filled with beautiful cut flowers. All flowers are cut to approximately 4- to 5-inches in length.
	Note: (Cut the leggy tops off the stock and just use their meaty full blossoms. Use sprigs cut from the one hydrangea blossom throughout the arrangement.)
Happy Flower Arranging, Jill Slater
http://www.flowerpossibilities.com